It is often referred to as ‘oily skin’, and manifests itself with a shiny appearance, accompanied by pimples and open pores. In the worst cases, it can develop into full blown acne, and blight a person for life.

How is excessive sebum produced?

The problem is caused by good old bacteria, which breakdown the sebum into fatty acids, often causing an inflammatory reaction in the follicle (skin pores). The result is that skin pores are then blocked by ‘sticky plugs’ formed by the mixture of dead skin cells, bacteria and sebum, a condition known as a Microcomedone.

How do you reduce sebum production?

To reduce the production of sebum, it is recommended that you follow a cleansing regime that affects both the sebum levels on the skin and within the follicle. Sebum production is a continuous process, and needs to be removed by washing the skin at least twice a day with a quality foaming wash such as the Gatineau Refresh range. It is helpful to wash with a product that is lightly medicated, with at least 2% Salicylic acid, which prevents the formation of plugged pores. The process of gently washing also provides an exfoliation, which is necessary to remove the detritus that builds up during a day. How to apply:

• Gently wet the skin and rub the lotion in with your fingertips for a few minutes, making sure that all the areas of the face are covered, particularly around the sides of the nose.
• Leave for a few minutes, and then rinse with warm water. NOTE: It is important to ensure that the water is warm and not hot as this can have a damaging affect.

Bacteria removal

If your skin condition is particularly bad, it may be wise to consult your doctor and get a prescription for antibiotics. Antibiotics have an anti-inflammatory property and will aid in the destruction of bacteria populations on the skin. Not everyone responds positively to antibiotics, and it may be because there is some dilution of the concentration of the antibiotics in the follicle caused by the excessive build up of sebum. Another reason could be a common bacterial resistance to the antibiotic. Many people advocate the use of Tea tree oil to stop the spread of harmful bacteria, which cannot develop any resistance. For more information, and a list of helpful products that can assist in controlling sebum production, visit Aromatherapy Associates at The Beauty Room.

If you wish to know more information about any of the benefits of using aromatherapy as an aid to skin care visit the official website of Aromatherapy Assosiates.

Molton Brown began life in 1973 when a hair salon opened at 58 South Molton Street in Mayfair.   The salon set out to be unique from the start with the first Molton Brown products blended by hand and sold to compliment the salon treatments.  This was a time when Sweet, Slade, Donny Osmond, Wizard and even Gary Glitter were in the charts.  This was a London enamoured of synthetic fabrics, synthetic hair, synthetic formulaic music and a distinctly artificial look.

Molton Brown’s soft, individual and natural style was a polar contrast to the then current vogue. Out went identikit glam tonsorial constructions using hairdryers and tongs and in came finger drying and haircuts designed to flatter the client’s individuality. The salon became a hit and its first retail products were hand-mixed upstairs from nettles and camomile.  Dale Daxon Bowers joined the team in 1978 fresh from Mary Quant cosmetics and established a makeshift lab in the kitchen above Browns boutique.   Dale’s passion and creativity was fuelled by an unshakable belief that nature should be the focus for a whole new range that would build on the salon heritage.

Cult products such as Naran Ji Fine Liquid Hand Wash can be found in top hotels and clubs around the World. Molton Brown Warming Eucalyptus Bath and Shower Therapy and Suma Ginseng Bath and Shower gel are two of the world’s favourite bath time products.  The same also applies to a range of skin care and grooming products developed for men, such as  Molton Brown Recharge Black Pepper Shower Gel that are warm, spicy and very masculine.

The salon evolved into the Molton Brown emporium where Dale’s plant-based make-up, hair, body, skin and grooming products were sold at first to the cognoscenti and were taken up by top-end stores, airlines and prestige hotel chains around the world.   Today, the scale may be bigger with manufacture carried out in a glamorous laboratory set-up in Hertfordshire, but the underlying philosophy has remained the same and Molton Brown has become one of the World’s most successful and distinctive cosmetic companies.

Nowadays fashion is not only composed of clothes, hairstyles and shoes. Today people understood that they have to correctly use all accessories that are required for a certain outfit and fashion designers recommend this practice by getting out different collections for different cultural classes. The shiny fashion stage is now overwhelmed by small additions to dresses and costumes that make the right statement.

The business category of fashion is always dominated by dark colors. Regardless of gender and age, you can not consider yourself a serious business person unless you possess lots of suits varying from dark outfits to outfits that are recommended by trendy designers but that are still following the straight lines of etiquette. This means that, for example, a woman that wanted to dress correctly but yet fashionably for the office last autumn, could’ve combine a plain pair of brown pants, long and cropped, with a dark brown shirt to match them, and in the end accessorized the whole outfit with a bright yellow waistcoat, with brown checkers design. A pretty light brown scarf would be the perfect accessory for the above outfit.

And since we are on accessories, let’s not forget about young people who tend to over-accessorize their outfits. A young woman wearing light pink boots and a matching blouse will surely add a pink ipod to the outfit, and then she might be thinking of adding also a belt, big earring and so on. The truth is that a young person looks best with fewer accessories, so the player is simply perfect for completing the freedom look most teenagers are after.

People working in the fashion world are trying hard to let others know how important small accessories are. They can be a pair of earring or a colorful tie, but they will achieve the desired purpose in a glance. Adding more than one or two per outfit has no benefic effect, and will only ruin the entire look.